


These Paw Prints Led Me To You

by TheLegendOfChel



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Coming of Age, Fluff, Growing Up, Kid Fic, Light Angst, M/M, Soul Bond, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:53:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23605606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLegendOfChel/pseuds/TheLegendOfChel
Summary: When a person turns ten, a fragment of their soul materializes in the world in the shape of an animal that reflects their personality. Once this happens, the spirit guide will seek out the person’s soulmate, and be their companion.Keith and Lance's spirit guides aren't quite what either of them expected, but they soon form an unbreakable bond that will last a lifetime and, eventually, lead them to each other.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron), minor Adam/Shiro (Voltron) - Relationship
Comments: 76
Kudos: 195





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve always had a weakness for soulmate aus so it was only a matter of time before this happened, lol
> 
> Enjoy! (๑¯◡¯๑)

Lance’s tongue poked out as he furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. Ever since his mamá had finally approved of his sewing skills, Lance insisted on making his halloween costume this year.

Well, okay, Lance was really just stitching on the various space themed patches while his mamá did the rest, but by gosh those patches would be perfect. He’d be the best looking astronaut on the block when they went trick-or-treating next week. The other kids would definitely be jealous.

So engrossed in his thoughts, Lance almost missed the flash of movement in the corner of his eye. Freezing, he whipped his head around. Lance’s gaze darted around his bedroom, but nothing appeared out of place. After a moment, he returned to his work.

There it was again! A tiny shadow flew out from his open closet and hid under his desk. Lance stayed very still, trying to see if he could tell what it was from where he sat cross-legged on the bed. 

What if it was a dangerous animal that somehow got into the house? It looked pretty small though. Maybe it was a huge bug? The thought made Lance’s face scrunch up in disgust. 

Whatever it was, it was well-hidden in the shadows. He wondered if he should call for his parents or siblings, then shook his head. Lance was in fourth grade, practically a middle schooler. Whatever it was, he could handle it.

And if not, someone was sure to hear him shout for help, right?

With bated breath, Lance slipped off his bed and padded across the room. Cautiously, he knelt down on his hands and knees and peered into the darkness. His blue eyes widened.

Two eyes stared back, big and purple and set in the face of the smallest, cutest, black cat Lance had ever seen.

“Awww,” he cooed, his fears melting away. “Are you lost, _gatito?”_

The cat didn’t answer, merely looking back at Lance, as still as a statue. Lance started to reach out, hoping he wouldn’t get scratched, but before he could get close the cat shot off again, so fast Lance wasn’t even sure where it went. He searched and searched, but there was no trace of it in his room. Lance frowned, confused. His door was closed, so it couldn’t have gotten out. But then again, it shouldn’t have been able enter in the first place.

Lance eventually gave up looking in his room, which was how Veronica found him rummaging through the cabinet under their kitchen sink.

“Uhh, Lance?” she said. “What are you doing?”

Lance told her about the cat, and how he was worried it might have gotten stuck somewhere else in the house.

“Will you help me look for it?” he asked. “It looked pretty scared.”

“Sure,” she agreed, “but you might not need to.”

“What do you mean?”

“It could be your soulmate’s spirit guide,” she said. “You are getting around that age.”

Lance’s eyes widened. Somehow that thought hadn’t even occurred to him, but it made sense, and would explain how the cat got into his room and then vanished. 

No one really knew why, but when you turned ten years old, a piece of your soul would break off and materialize in the shape of the animal that most reflects your personality. However, the animal wouldn’t appear for you. It would instead seek out your soulmate. 

There were several theories about the phenomenon. Some believed it was to make it easier to find the person you were destined for, while others thought that soulmates were two halves of the same soul that wanted to be together again so badly that a part of it would seek out the other as soon as possible. 

Whatever the case, Lance always just thought it was nice that a piece of himself would keep his soulmate company until they were able to meet in person, and vice versa.

Now that he knew the reason behind the cat’s appearance, Lance was practically vibrating with excitement, much to his family’s fond exasperation. Lance barely noticed, too busy keeping an eye out for the cat to show up again and speculating about what his soulmate was like. 

They must have just turned ten, which meant they were almost a year older than Lance, who wouldn’t turn ten until July. Lance only got a peek at the cat, and it was half hidden in shadow, but he had been able to tell it was adorable, so his soulmate must be equally cute. He just hoped they weren’t as skittish.

Because boy, was that cat skittish. Over the next handful of weeks, Lance thought for sure he saw it out of the corner of his eye, but every time he turned for a better look, it was gone. Just as Lance thought that maybe the whole thing had been a figment of his imagination, the cat finally appeared once more. The now familiar shadow peeked out from the top of Lance’s bookshelf, and this time it didn’t run away when Lance made eye contact with it.

Lance sat still, his video game forgotten as he stared at the feline. It was as small and cute as he remembered, a tiny black void with two purple eyes. Lance stood up, but as soon as he moved the cat ducked out of view. Lance scrambled to drag his chair over so he could climb up and peer over the top of the bookshelf but it was too late, the cat was already gone. Disappointed, Lance returned to his game.

The next few encounters followed a similar routine. The cat would show up and they’d have a staring contest, but as soon as Lance took a step closer it would hightail it out of there.

“What am I doing wrong?” he pouted. “Does my soulmate hate me?”

“Your soulmate doesn’t hate you,” Veronica rolled her eyes. “Maybe the cat is just shy.”

“So what do I do?”

“You said it bails when you try to go to it, right?” she asked. “Maybe you should leave it alone.”

Lance frowned. “You mean like, ignore it?” That didn’t seem right.

“Not ignore it,” Veronica said, “just, y’know, let _it_ come to _you.”_

A few days later while Lance was doing homework the cat appeared again. It peered around the corner of his bed and they locked eyes.

“Hello,” Lance said softly. He then turned back to his homework without another word.

Time seemed to move at a snail’s pace, Lance’s heart beating a mile a minute. After what felt like an age, Lance startled when something furry brushed his ankle. He peeked down and his heart melted.

There, curled up at his feet, was the cat. Lance wanted desperately to pet it, but held back. He didn’t want to risk scaring it off again, not when he had finally made progress. So instead Lance merely turned back to his homework, hyper-aware of the little ball of warmth pressed against his foot.

Little by little, Lance built up the trust between them. Whenever the cat appeared, Lance would greet it and go back to whatever he was doing, and the cat in turn would keep him company, its presence quiet but comforting once Lance got used to it. 

One day, a few months after their first fateful encounter, the cat hopped onto Lance’s lap. He stared down at it, his jaw dropped in surprise. Its pupils looked round instead of slitted, nearly encompassing the purple, and Lance frantically tried to remember if that was good or if it meant he was about to get his face scratched off. 

When the cat made no move to maul him, Lance decided to take a risk. Very slowly, he reached out. The cat eyed his hand somewhat warily, but allowed Lance to pet it, its eyes falling shut when Lance’s blunt nails scratched behind its ears.

Internally squealing, Lance continued to stroke the cat’s velvety fur. It started purring and he almost died. Eventually, the cat curled up on his lap to sleep. It was difficult to type out his essay with one hand, but sacrifices must be made.

\-----

Keith drew the covers closer as he curled up into a tight ball, trying to ignore the muffled shouts from downstairs. This was his third foster home and the worst yet by far. The couple that took him in barely acknowledged his existence, and fought at least once a day. The only silver lining was that he had his own room. It wasn’t much, but he could escape to be alone when things escalated.

Feeling the familiar prickle of tears, Keith squeezed his eyes shut and buried his head under his pillow. It was a bit stuffy, but blocked the noise enough that he finally started to doze off.

Before he could fall asleep, however, something small and wet slipped under the pillow to touch Keith’s cheek. Startled, he jerked away, falling off the bed with a thud. 

Laying on the floor, Keith went still. The shouts from below continued, which meant his guardians hadn’t heard him, and Keith wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or not. Very cautiously, he crawled back to the bed and peered over the mattress.

A small tongue immediately licked his face, causing Keith to scramble away until his back hit the wall. Once he calmed down enough to process the image before him, Keith blinked.

There was a dog on his bed.

Well, more like a puppy really. It was small with black fur, pointy ears, and a bushy tail. Said tail wagged excitedly as bright blue eyes gazed back at him.

Keith took a deep breath and edged closer. He reached out to the dog, ready to snatch his hand back at the first sign of danger, but the dog merely sat in place so Keith could pet it.

It was soft.

“Hey, little guy,” Keith said quietly. “What are you doing here?”

The dog let out a small “whuff,” its tail going into overdrive. Keith gingerly sat down on the bed and continued to pet it. Once his panic died down, it didn’t take long for him to realize the answer for himself. He was almost eleven, after all. It must have been his soulmate’s birthday today. A small part of Keith felt smug that he was the older one, if only by a few months.

A bigger part of him felt terrified. With everything that had happened in the past year or so, with the accident and moving from home to home, Keith hadn’t given a single thought to the possibility of a soulmate. He’d barely noticed when his tenth birthday passed.

And now he had a soulmate? Someone was out there with a piece of Keith’s soul. Someone who could love him. Someone who could leave him.

As though sensing Keith’s dark thoughts, the dog climbed onto Keith’s lap and nudged his hand with a snuffle, demanding attention. Keith obligingly scratched it behind the ears, and the puppy melted into a fluffy pile of goo. Despite his misgivings, Keith felt something inside of himself melt a little, too.

With the little ball of warmth curled up in his arms, Keith finally fell asleep.

\-----

Keith’s new companion was...energetic. It followed him everywhere, tail wagging a mile a minute as it tugged playfully at Keith’s pant leg. It was cute, if a little annoying. 

His foster parents didn’t seem to care. Spirit guides were magical, so they didn’t require food or supplies like a regular pet. As long as it stayed out of their way, the couple ignored it just like they ignored Keith.

Keith himself required some time to adjust. He was used to being alone, and didn’t quite know how to deal with this creature that constantly nagged him for affection. 

One night, Keith finally managed to get the puppy to hold still long enough to examine it more closely. After some research on his laptop, Keith determined a few things.

First, the puppy was male. That didn’t give Keith any insight to his soulmate since a spirit guide’s gender was unrelated to the person they came from, but at least he didn’t have to think of the dog as an “it” anymore.

The second and more difficult thing was what breed of dog he was. Keith scoured page after page of web results, but nothing looked quite right. The closest he could guess was some kind of husky hybrid, but in the end, he decided it didn’t really matter. Maybe once the puppy grew it would be easier to figure out.

The third and final thing Keith did was pick a name. It eluded him for a while. He tried asking the puppy what its name was, and when that didn’t work, Keith spent the next hour looking up names for inspiration. 

Keith closed his laptop with a huff and rolled over onto his back, blowing a strand of hair out of his eyes to stare up at the ceiling. The puppy padded over and sniffed at Kieth’s head, his big, blue eyes peering into Keith’s. Keith blinked as he stared back. They were vast and deep, and glittered like stars in an infinite cosmos.

“Kosmo,” he said without thinking.

The puppy’s ears perked up and he wagged his tail. Keith rolled over to sit upright and looked down at him with surprise.

“You like that?” he asked. “Kosmo?”

The puppy barked and jumped up to lick Keith’s face. Laughing, Keith fended off the onslaught of doggy kisses.

“Okay, okay,” he said. “Kosmo it is.”

As he went to bed that night with Kosmo huddled into his side, Keith thought that maybe having a soulmate wasn’t so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna be real with y’all, I have no idea where this fic is going, haha. I saw that one geraskier fanart with this concept and it was too cute to not turn into klance, so here we are.
> 
> Honestly, this’ll probably be more like snippets of them growing up with their soul guides rather than a fully developed story. If you have any requests for things you’d like to see, let me know in the comments!
> 
> I’ve also been trying to think of a better term than “spirit guides” but haven’t found anything I like yet, so if anyone has a suggestion for that, throw it at me, haha...please...I'm tearing my hair out over here...
> 
> Anyway, an extra special thanks to my beta, Melissa! You da best!
> 
> See you next time! (*ˊᗜˋ*)/


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! (๑¯◡¯๑)

Once Lance earned her trust, the cat became a permanent fixture in his life. She still came and went as she pleased, but as the months passed the cat would appear more and more frequently to paw at Lance and demand his attention. It got to the point where she spent more time with Lance than anywhere else, seemingly content to lounge nearby while he played video games or did homework. She even used the little cat bed Lance bought for her, curled up in a tiny ball, eyes squinting shut in sleep.

Lance, of course, took about a million pictures on his phone.

For his part, Lance was still doing his best to earn the cat’s trust. He always let her make the first move when it came to physical contact, and let her go at the first sign of being overwhelmed. It seemed to be working. Little by little, the cat allowed Lance to cuddle and play with her for longer periods of time, and it required less coaxing to start. The first time she hopped onto Lance’s lap without any prompting whatsoever, Lance nearly cried.

Once she got over some of her shyness, Lance discovered the cat was a curious little thing. Lance lost count of how many times he would be working on his laptop or watching something on TV only for his vision to suddenly become blocked by inquisitive purple eyes. He’d be annoyed if it weren’t so dang cute.

One day, Lance was outside in front of the garage. It was warm and sunny, so he and his siblings decided to test their artistic genius by covering the sidewalk with colorful chalk. Personally, Lance thought his drawing of a giant robot was the best one. It was way better than Veronica’s stupid dragon or Marco’s misshaped polar bear. Or maybe it was a dog? Whatever it was, it wasn’t nearly as cool as Lance’s.

Just as he was putting the final touches on his masterpiece, Lance noticed a familiar black cat trot in front of him, causing him to freeze in shock. Though the cat had come to accept Lance, other people still made her skittish, including Lance’s siblings. However, the cat merely blinked up at him before plopping down right on top of his drawing.

“Hey!” Lance gasped.

The cat ignored him, and rolled onto her side to better soak up the sunlight, further smudging the cartoon robot. Lance’s siblings all snickered as his hands twitched above her, unable to choose between shooing her away and letting her be.

“Maaan, I worked so hard on that,” he pouted. “You owe me big time for this.”

A single purple eye peeked up at him.

“Yeah, I’m talking to you,” he said. “Don’t think you can cute your way out of this one!”

The cat looked up at him with a tiny, “Mreow?”

Amid the others’ laughter, Lance sighed in defeat and dropped his face into his hands. A moment later, a small, sandy tongue licked at the back of Lance’s knuckle. He peeked out between his fingers and burst into laughter.

The cat stood before him, her normally inky black fur covered in patches of bright red chalk. She pawed at her nose and let out the most adorable sneeze Lance had ever heard.

“Okay, fine,” Lance rolled his eyes with a wide grin. “I forgive you. Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”

He picked her up and took her back into the house.

“Y’know what?” he said, scratching behind her ears. “I’m gonna call you Red.”

Red purred against his chest, which Lance figured was as good an acceptance as anything.

\-----

By the time Lance turned twelve, he and Red were inseparable. No matter where Lance went, Red was with him, walking by his side or draped over his shoulder or riding in his backpack with her head poking out the top. It made Lance glad his spirit guide was a cat. There were limits to how much society could accommodate spirit guides, after all. Even a magical elephant couldn’t fit on the subway.

Red even accompanied Lance to school, though she shied away from his classmates and other spirit guides. Only Hunk managed to gain her friendship, which took meticulous weeks of soft coaxing and bribery via delicious homemade treats.

Hunk’s spirit guide was a pebble crab that could usually be found perched atop Hunk’s head. Lance had to stop Red from swiping at it more than once as it scuttled around, but luckily the crab didn’t seem to mind.

Lance tried to encourage Red to meet other classmates’ guides, hoping she would recognize one of them as a piece of Lance’s soul, but so far no luck. It wasn’t surprising. Lance’s soulmate could live in another country for all he knew, so the chances they went to the same school were slim at best. Still, it didn’t hurt to dream.

All in all, things were going pretty smoothly until one day after school when Lance was on his way home from soccer practice, and three boys from his class ambushed him. Lance grunted as they shoved him against a wall. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Lance scowled.

The other boys crowded closer, trapping Lance. The one in the middle, Alex, raised his fist in what Lance presumed was supposed to be a threatening manner.

“This is a warning, McClain,” he said. “Jenny is my soulmate so stop flirting with her.”

Okay, first of all, Lance didn’t know Jenny had already met her soulmate. He just knew she was cute and he liked the way she laughed, so of course when he saw that her spirit guide was also a cat he joked that maybe they were a match. It was all in good fun, and nothing had come of it since Red refused to acknowledge Jenny’s calico just like all the others.

“Jenny never mentioned her soulmate,” Lance sniffed, “and now I can see why.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh nothing,” Lance said brightly. “Just that when I saw Jenny’s spirit guide it looked so cute, but seeing you now, well, let’s just say I don’t see much resemblance. Then again,” Lance hummed, pretending to study Alex, “I guess you do both have constipated expressions.”

“You think you’re so clever, don’t you?” Alex sneered. “Lance McClain, the class clown, always gotta be the center of attention.”

“Hey!” Lance said, indignant. Just because he liked to keep people entertained didn't make him a clown! “At least I’m interesting! Jenny probably didn’t talk about her soulmate because she was hoping her guide made a mistake and would pick me instead of you.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Lance knew he’d gone a step too far. Soulmates were serious business to a lot of people, including Lance himself. A flash of hurt crossed Alex’s face, but before Lance could apologize, that hurt changed into rage, and Alex swung a fist at him.

Lance automatically squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the blow and wondering in the back of his mind how he was gonna explain this to his mom. However, the punch never landed. Instead, Lance felt something shift in his backpack and leap off of his shoulder, followed by a cry of pain.

Lance opened his eyes to see Alex stumbling around as he tried to pry Red off of his face, his friends hovering nearby, unsure of what to do. Red was hissing and yowling, scratching at Alex like a tiny force of nature. Alex’s spirit guide, a bluejay, wasn’t much help.

Alex finally threw Red off. Lance’s heart stopped, but Red nimbly landed on her feet and hissed at the other boys again, standing in front of Lance with her hackles raised.

“You’ll pay for that, McClain!” Alex spat. He turned and hurried away, his cronies at his heels.

Once they were gone, Lance snapped out of his stupor and fell to his knees so he could gather Red into his arms. Although he knew spirit guides couldn't be harmed through physical means, he still carefully checked her over for injuries.

Having successfully scared away the threat, Red calmed down and even purred under Lance’s attention, staring up at him with big, purple eyes.

“Don’t give me that innocent look,” Lance scolded. “That was dangerous! What if you got hurt?”

When those purple eyes turned smug, Lance sighed.

“I know you won, but what if his spirit guide was like, a polar bear or something?”

Red settled deeper into Lance’s arms as they resumed the walk home, seemingly undaunted by a hypothetical battle with a giant bear. Lance wondered what that said about his soulmate.

“Do not fight a polar bear,” he told her sternly.

“Mreow,” Red replied.

Lance wasn’t convinced, but decided to drop it for now. He cuddled Red closer to his chest, and felt the tension drain from his body when she rubbed the top of her head against the underside of his chin.

“Thank you,” he said softly.

Red purred the whole way home.

\-----

Over the next couple of years as Keith was shuffled from home to home, Kosmo became the only real stability in his life. The rambunctious pup refused to leave Keith’s side, even when Keith was having one of his bad days and shut himself away from the world. Maybe especially on those days.

It could be because Kosmo wasn’t human, but Keith found he didn’t mind so much when the dog burrowed his way under the bedcovers where Keith hid, curling up against his chest with a snuffle. Keith tried to push him away at first, wanting to be alone, but Kosmo always returned. It helped, and eventually Keith simply opened his arms and let Kosmo comfort him.

Keith still didn’t know what kind of dog Kosmo was. He had grown at an alarming rate, and was much bigger than Keith had expected. He didn’t mind though. If any of Keith’s foster parents or siblings tried to mess with him, one look at Kosmo’s sharp teeth nipped that attitude right in the bud, and when Keith was particularly upset, Kosmo would curl around him and allow Keith to wrap his arms around his neck, burying his face in Kosmo’s thick fur.

Things were still hard, but at least they had each other.

Then, when Keith was thirteen, he moved in with the Shiroganes. They seemed like a nice enough family, though Keith knew from experience that that didn’t always hold true for long. He wasn’t worried. He doubted he’d be with them for more than a few months.

“And this is your room,” said Keith’s new foster brother. He had introduced himself as Takashi but told Keith to call him Shiro. “We can go shopping for a pet bed for Kosmo later, if you want.”

Keith paused his examination of the room (sparse, but clean and welcoming) to look at Shiro in surprise.

“A pet bed?”

“He can sleep with you if you'd prefer,” Shiro shrugged, “but it might be a tight squeeze. A pet bed would be more comfortable for the both of you.”

“Oh, uh, sure,” Keith said, glancing down to exchange a look with Kosmo. “That’s fine.”

None of the homes before had ever considered making accommodations for Kosmo, so they always just shared the bed. It wasn’t an issue until Kosmo had another growth spurt.

“Great!” Shiro grinned. “We’ll pick one out while we get you some new clothes.”

“Clothes?” Keith blinked. He felt a bit foolish for just repeating stuff Shiro said, but Shiro didn’t seem to notice.

“Only if you want to,” Shiro assured him, “but I noticed you didn’t bring much with you. And besides, who doesn’t like getting new stuff?”

Seeing Shiro’s kind smile, Keith fought the urge to bristle. It was true that all of Keith’s possessions could fit inside a single threadbare backpack, and Keith preferred it that way. It made it easy to pack when the time came. Still, Shiro seemed to mean well and Kosmo wasn’t the only one growing, so Keith nodded and let Shiro drive them to the mall.

As they browsed through various stores, Shiro kept up a stream of pleasant chatter, and didn’t seem discouraged when Keith only gave monosyllabic replies. 

Keith was still trying to get a read on his new foster brother, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Why was he being so nice to Keith? Did he want something? It was possible that Mr. and Mrs. Shirogane had told him to treat Keith well so they wouldn’t get in trouble, but that didn’t feel right either, plus it didn’t explain why they were buying stuff for him.

In the end, Keith shrugged and decided to wait and see what happened. If nothing else, he was adaptable, and in the meanwhile he might as well take advantage of the situation and get some free clothes.

Shiro was in the middle of telling Keith about his soulmate, a boy who went to high school with him named Adam, when a flash of red caught Keith’s eye. He stopped and looked at the leather jacket on display, reaching out to feel the buttery-soft material.

“You want it?”

Keith jumped, and looked up at Shiro. 

“I…” Keith glanced at the tag and grimaced. “It’s too expensive.”

Shiro hummed and looked at the price. With a shrug, he grabbed one off the rack and placed it in the cart.

“It’s a special occasion, so we’ll splurge just this once,” he said with a wink. “And we’ll get it in a bigger size so you grow into it.”

Keith’s eyes widened, and he tried to quash the light, bubbly feeling that rose in his chest.

“Um, thanks.”

“No problem,” Shiro smiled. “Ready to go to the pet store?”

After they checked out, Keith insisted on wearing his new jacket right away, even though it wasn’t really cold enough to warrant it. Shiro didn’t point this out, and Keith tried to ignore the older boy’s fond smile at how the sleeves were a bit too long. It didn’t look bad though, and Shiro was right, Keith would be able to wear it much longer this way.

They went to the pet store and bought not only the largest dog bed they could find, but also a handful of dog treats and toys. As a spirit guide, Kosmo didn’t need to eat to survive, but he could if he wanted to. Keith’s past families never gave Kosmo any food, considering it a waste of money, but clearly the Shiroganes disagreed.

Later that night, Keith stood in his new bedroom, staring at the massive amount of bags that littered the floor. He ought to unpack, but honestly he was feeling a little overwhelmed. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had so much stuff.

Not only that, but a small part of Keith still felt reluctant to accept this new situation, like as soon as he placed his new things in the closet and dresser, Shiro would show up to tell Keith there had been a mistake, and Keith had to return everything and leave immediately.

A wet nose bumped Keith’s hand, bringing him out of his thoughts. He looked down and gave Kosmo a thankful pat. 

“You’re right,” he said. “Even if that did happen, I’ll still have you, huh?”

Kosmo replied with a soft, “whuff,” and stood up on his hind legs, placing his front paws on Keith’s chest to lick his face.

“Okay, okay,” Keith laughed. “I get it! Down, boy.”

Kosmo obediently ceased his attack of canine kisses. Taking a deep breath, Keith began to dig his new purchases out of the shopping bags. With Kosmo’s quiet support, he managed to put everything away properly, and the closet and dresser were half full by the time he was done. Looking at them gave Keith an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach, but it wasn’t a bad sensation.

Finally, he cut the tag off of Kosmo’s new bed and dragged it next to his own so he could see Kosmo easily if he woke up. At Keith’s coaxing, Kosmo laid down on the pet bed.

“Well? What do you think?”

Kosmo wagged his tail with a, “boof.”

“Yeah,” Keith grinned. “I like it, too.”

\-----

Weeks passed. Keith kept waiting for the Shiroganes to get tired of his attitude or decide they wanted a different foster kid that said more than three sentences a day, but nothing seemed to change. Things weren’t perfect, of course. They were still getting to know each other and sometimes someone would do or say something painfully awkward, but in a way that helped Keith come to terms with the reality of the situation. If he had landed in a perfect family with no flaws, he would have been much more suspicious of some underlying plot.

Instead, Keith started feeling cautiously optimistic for the first time in years.

Even if things didn’t work out in the long run, Keith found himself glad that he became friends with Shiro. It didn’t take long for him to realize that Shiro’s kind, patient nature was a hundred percent genuine. 

And sure, he also soon discovered that Shiro was a bit of a disaster in his own way, with an odd sense of humor and a tendency to get sucked into trashy TV shows, but he was still one of the best people Keith had ever met. In the revolving door of foster siblings throughout Keith’s life, Shiro was the first to actually act like a big brother. 

About three months after moving in, Keith met Shiro’s soulmate. He was already familiar with Shiro’s spirit guide, of course, a large tawny owl named Archimedes who often perched on Shiro’s shoulder. Archimedes was calm and had an air of sophistication, so Keith wasn’t surprised when a young man with warm, brown eyes and a soft smile stepped through the doorway.

He was, however, surprised by the spirit animal that accompanied him.

“Keith, meet Adam,” Shiro said, oblivious to Keith’s shock. “Adam, this is-”

“Is that a lion?” Keith blurted out. Realizing he’d interrupted, Keith blushed, but Shiro and Adam only laughed.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Keith,” Adam said. “And yes, this is my guide, Kovu.”

“Adam really liked The Lion King 2 when he was young,” Shiro stage whispered, a twinkle in his eyes.

“Like you’re one to talk,” Adam huffed, though there didn’t seem to be any real anger in his voice. “You named your guide after a cartoon character too.”

The couple bickered back and forth, but Keith barely paid attention, too busy staring at Kovu. Most of the spirit guides he’d seen were smaller animals like birds or rabbits or lizards. Kosmo was the biggest one he’d interacted with, and Kovu was at least twice Kosmo’s size.

“This,” Keith interrupted Shiro again, pointing at Kovu, “is supposed to be you?”

Shiro blinked, then placed his hands on his hips with a frown.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he demanded, ignoring Adam’s snort.

“Nothing, just,” Keith shrugged, “aren’t lions supposed to be like, majestic and stuff?”

Shiro raised an eyebrow while Adam devolved into laughter. “Are you saying I’m not majestic?”

“I literally saw you crying into a bag of doritos last night while you were watching The Bachelor.”

“He picked the wrong person!” Shiro said defensively. Behind him, Adam was rolling around on the floor. “Michael was clearly his soulmate, not Jessica.”

“Clearly,” Keith rolled his eyes.

Adam’s laughter finally died down, and he picked himself up to place a hand on Keith’s shoulder.

“I like you,” he said with a grin.

“Oh,” Keith blinked. “Um, thanks?”

Adam gave him a pat on the head before walking to the kitchen, Kovu at his heels and Archimedes settled in Kovu’s large mane like it was his nest. When Keith shot Shiro a questioning look, Shiro merely shrugged and they followed.

The three of them began to make lunch, and Keith’s curiosity soon overcame his shyness.

“What’s it like to have a lion follow you around all the time?” he asked.

Adam hummed, eyes turned skyward as he tossed a salad.

“It’s not always easy,” he admitted. “Kovu is too big for most public transport, and even though he’s a spirit guide some people still get nervous when he’s around. But on the plus side, I never have to worry about being mugged.”

“I’ll bet,” Keith smirked and handed Adam the tomato he just finished chopping. “Kosmo can be pretty intimidating too, even though most of the time he acts like a big softie.”

“He’s a beautiful creature,” Adam said. “Your soulmate must have a beautiful soul to match.”

Keith ducked his head to hide the blush that grew across his face. Though he knew on a conscious level that Kosmo was a magical manifestation of his soulmate’s spirit, it was hard to reconcile with the idea that there was someone out there meant for Keith. Not wanting to think about it too much, Keith scrambled to change the subject.

“Yeah, Kosmo is great,” he said, giving his spirit guide a fond pat. “I still haven’t figured out what breed of dog he is, but his fur has always been thick and shiny.”

When silence reigned, Keith glanced back up to find Adam staring at him, salad forgotten. At the stove, Shiro too had paused cooking the grilled cheese sandwiches mid flip.

“Keith,” Shiro said faintly, “do you...think Kosmo is a dog?”

Keith frowned in confusion. “Yes?”

Shiro opened his mouth, closed it, then looked at Adam. Keith followed his gaze, and Adam cleared his throat.

“Keith,” Adam said, “Kosmo is much too big to be a dog.”

Though neither of them sounded patronizing, Keith still felt himself bristle, eyebrows furrowing into a scowl.

“Then what is he?”

The two older boys exchanged a look, and Shiro said, “I’m pretty sure he’s a wolf.”

Keith blinked, anger vanishing. He stared down at Kosmo with wide eyes, and Kosmo looked back at him with a happy wag of his tail.

“That,” Keith said, “is awesome.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> As always, I'm open to suggestions for things you'd like to see in this AU! I have a general idea of where I want the story to go, but would love to incorporate more cute little snippets of Lance and Keith with Red and Kosmo as they grow up, so feel free to drop me a comment!
> 
> As always, a huge thank you to my beta, Melissa, for giving me the confidence to post without worrying too much about typos, haha!
> 
> See you next time! (*ˊᗜˋ*)/


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